Pison noctulum Turner

Pulawski, Wojciech J., 2018, A Revision of the Wasp Genus Pison Jurine, 1808 of Australia and New Zealand, New Guinea, and the Pacific Islands (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae), Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences 65, pp. 1-584 : 294-297

Pison noctulum Turner

Figures 692 -700.

Pison noctulum Turner, 1908:516 , ♀. Lectotype: ♀, Australia: Queensland: Mackay (BMNH), present designation, examined. – Turner, 1916b:596 (in key to Australian Pison ), 600 (recognition characters, Australia: Queensland: Kuranda ); R. Bohart and Menke, 1976:336 (in checklist of world Sphecidae ); Cardale, 1985:261 (in catalog of Australian Sphecidae ).

LECTOTYPE DESIGNATION.– Turner did not mention the number of the specimens examined in the original description of Pison noctulum . I have designated as the lectotype of this species the only specimen in The Natural History Museum, London.

RECOGNITION.– Pison noctulum is an all black species with two submarginal cells, a partly impunctate tegula, the propodeal dorsum and posterior surface separated from the side by a well-defined carina, and the scutellum foremargin with a foveate sulcus between the axillae (the sulcus is inconspicuous in some specimens). In the female, the clypeal free margin is not differentiated into the lobe and lateral sections, forming a single arcuate line from one orbit to the other ( Fig. 692 ). In the male, there is no median lobe either, and the clypeal free margin forms an obtuse angle with a sharp median point ( Fig. 693 ). Pison clypeare is similar, but differs in having the punctures of the upper frons about one diameter apart on average, the propodeal dorsum coarsely rugose posterolaterally, the posterior propodeal surface coarsely ridged throughout, the wing veins light brown to yellowish, and the length of female flagellomere I is 1.8 × the apical width. In P. noctulum , the punctures of the upper frons are less than one diameter apart, the propodeal dorsum is finely sculptured posterolaterally, the posterior propodeal surface has fine ridges that become evanescent dorsally, the wing veins are dark brown, and the length of female flagellomere I is 1.5 × the apical width.

DESCRIPTION.– Head globose in dorsal view ( Fig. 694 ). Frons swollen above antennal socket

Setae silvery, appressed on thorax, forecoxal venter, femoral venters, and tergum I, suberect on each side of oral fossa (and about as long as 0.5 × midocellar diameter); apical depressions of terga with inconspicuous, silvery, setal fasciae.

Head, thorax, propodeum, and gaster black, female clypeus black or ferruginous next to lobe free margin; mandible black basally, ferruginous preapically, dark apically; antenna black or ferruginous (scape, pedicel, and apical flagellomeres dark dorsally in most specimens, apical flagellomere all dark in some specimens). Femora, tibiae, and tarsi black (most specimens) or ferruginous.

♀.– Upper interocular distance equal to 0.76 × lower interocular distance. Ocellocular distance equal to 0.3 × hindocellar diameter, distance between hindocelli equal to 1.1-1.2 × hindocellar diameter. Eye height equal to 1.10 × distance between eye notches. Middle clypeal lobe not differentiated, free clypeal margin evenly arcuate from orbit to orbit ( Fig. 692 ). Dorsal length of flagellomere I 1.5 × apical width, of flagellomere IX 1.2 × apical width. Mandible: trimmal carina without tooth or incision Length 5.7 mm; head width 1.5 mm.

♂.– Upper interocular distance equal to 0.8 × lower interocular distance; ocellocular distance equal to 0.7 × hindocellar diameter, distance between hindocelli equal to 1.5 × hindocellar diameter; eye height equal to 1.06 × distance between eye notches. Middle clypeal lobe not differentiat- ed, free clypeal margin obtusely angular, with a sharp median point ( Fig. 693 ). Flagellomeres V-X with tyloids. Dorsal length of flagellomere I 1.4 × apical width, of flagellomere X 0.7 × apical width. Sternum VIII shallowly, broadly emarginate ( Fig. 697 ). Genitalia: Figs. 698, 699 . Length 5.3-5.6 mm; head width 1.3-1.4 mm.

GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION (Fig. 700).–

Australian Capital Territory, eastern New

South Wales , eastern Queensland .

RECORDS.– AUSTRALIA: Australian Capital

Territory: Black Mountain (1 ♀, CAS), Canberra

(1 ♀, ACT). New South Wales: Coolbaggie Forest

Reserve 10 km E Eumungerie at 31°58.5ʹS

148°40.5ʹE (2 ♀, CAS), Warrumbungle National

Park at 31°16ʹS 148°57ʹE (1 ♀, MNKB), Wollemi

National Park (northern edge) at 32°23.4ʹS

150°24.8ʹE (1 ♀, CAS). Queensland: Cania Gorge

National Park at 24°43ʹS 150°59ʹE (2 ♀, 1 ♂,

ANIC), Currimundi Lake Conservation Park adjacent to Caloundra at 26°45.8ʹS 153°07.7ʹE (1 ♂,

FIGURE 700. Collecting localities of Pison noctulum CAS ), 9 km S Dingo Beach at 20°05.5ʹS 148°30.2ʹE

Turner.

(1 ♀, CAS), Eungella National Park at 21°10.5ʹS

148°30.3ʹE (6 ♀, 1 ♂, CAS) , Kuranda (Turner, 1916b) , Mackay (1 ♀, BMNH, lectotype of Pison noctulum ), Split Rock at 15°39ʹS 144°31ʹE (1 ♀, ANIC) .

Figures

FIGURES 692-696. Pison noctulum Turner. (692) Female clypeus; (693) Male clypeus; (694) Female head in dorsal view; (695) Female head in lateral view showing frontal swelling; (696) Apical part of forewing.

FIGURES 697-699. Pison noctulum Turner, male. (697) Sternum VIII (ventral surface); (698) Genitalia in dorsal view; (699) Genitalia in lateral view.